Houston Rockets signing Joe Johnson after buyout
After adding big man Brandan Wright, the Houston Rockets are now signing veteran wing Joe Johnson after a buyout. How will he fit in with the team?
Even after being inactive at the trade deadline, the Houston Rockets have made two additions to their team that could prove fruitful down the stretch of the regular season and in the playoffs.
After adding veteran big man Brandan Wright, Houston will now sign veteran swing man Joe Johnson to the team following his buyout from the Sacramento Kings, according to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski. Johnson has struggled this season with the Utah Jazz, in part due to a wrist injury earlier in the season.
A career 37.2 percent 3-point shooter, Johnson has only hit 27.4 percent of his shots beyond the arc this season. However, that is mainly a result of his extremely poor shooting in October (11.8 percent) and November (23.8 percent), when Johnson was dealing with the injury. In January, the 36-year-old hit 35.1 percent of his 3-pointers.
Last season, Johnson hit 41.1 percent of his 3-pointers and was instrumental for the Jazz in their first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Johnson often found himself guarding Blake Griffin as a small-ball 4, and even hit a clutch game-winner in Game 1 of the series:
Johnson averaged 12.9 points per game during last season’s playoffs, and if he can regain his shooting form, he will provide another wing option if needed.
For the remainder of the regular season, it may be hard for Johnson to receive consistent playing time. Trevor Ariza (when he returns from injury), P.J. Tucker, Ryan Anderson and Luc Mbah a Moute are all ahead of him in the rotation, so Johnson will likely find himself riding the bench when the team is fully healthy.
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However, if there is a game in which Anderson isn’t hitting his shots or one of the above players is injured, Johnson should be able to slide in at either the small or power forward positions to provide additional ball-handling and shooting.
After not making a move at the deadline, the Rockets have been able to improve their depth and add two capable players to the roster without giving anything up. Will Wright and Johnson receive consistent playing time? Most likely not. However, will they fit in perfectly when there are injuries or slumps from players above them in the rotation? Certainly.
Such is the joy of being a contending team in the NBA: you can add rotation quality players at a very small cost. The Houston Rockets are now a very deep team, boasting a potential 11- or 12-man rotation down the stretch of the regular season in order to effectively manage minutes:
- Guards: Chris Paul, James Harden, Eric Gordon
- Wings: Trevor Ariza, P.J. Tucker, Luc Mbah a Moute, Gerald Green, Joe Johnson
- Frontcourt: Ryan Anderson, Clint Capela, Nene, Brandan Wright, Tarik Black
Moving forward there should no reason that key starters play during blowouts or ever play more than 36-37 minutes in a game. The Rockets are deep enough now that minutes should be effectively managed/limited, and the end of the bench should be put in games much earlier.
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With these two veteran additions, the Rockets are one of, if not the deepest team in the league, which will allow them to stay fresh and adjust for various matchups come playoff time.